As the War of the Rings builds in intensity and the dark minions of Sauron look to extend their evil influence over Middle-earth, Frodo and Sam edge ever closer to Mount Doom. Desperate to avoid the watchful eye of the Dark lord and the treacherous betrayal of Gollum, the two noble hobbits struggle through the Land of Shadow in an attempt to destroy the One Ring of Power and end Sauron's evil reign forever.

From the Publisher:As the armies of the Dark Lord gather, Aragorn joins with the Riders of Rohan, Merry and Pippin escape into the Fangorn Forest and meet the Ents, Gandalf returns, and Sam and Frodo are separated after Frodo is captured by the Orcs.

Annotation:In this third volume of the LORD OF THE RINGS, Frodo (nephew of Bilbo Baggins, hero of THE HOBBIT) and his companions confront their worst nightmares as their seemingly innocent quest becomes the fulcrum of a battle that will tear Middle Earth to pieces.What is considered to be the most important fantasy epic of the 20th century roars to a close in this third and final volume of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. The armies of the West mass for their final assault upon the forces of Sauron, but they have little hope of prevailing against the Dark Lord. All depends on whether the Ring-bearer Frodo will complete his quest, and destroy Sauron's Ring of Power in the fires of Mount Doom. But Frodo is imprisoned in the dungeons of Mordor. Are the quest--and Middle-earth--doomed? There are very few fantasy writers who can claim to be as detailed a world-builder as Tolkien was, and that comes to the fore in this book, as it contains over one hundred pages of appendices concerning the history, cultures, and languages of the peoples of Middle-earth, including the ultimate destinies of most of the main characters in the story.

Praise

Nation"As for me, if we must read about imaginary kingdoms, give me James Branch Cabell's 'Poictesme'. He at least writes for grown-up people, and he does not present the drama of life as a showdown beween Good People and Goblins. He can cover more ground in an episode that lasts only three pages than Tolkien is able to in one of his twenty-page chapters, and he can create a more disquieting impression by a reference to something that is never described than Tolkien through his whole demonology." April 14, 1956

New York Times Book Review"In 'The Return of the King,' Frodo Baggins fulfills his Quest, the realm of Sauron is ended forever, the Third Age is over and J.R.R. Tolkien's triology 'The Lord of the Rings' complete. I rarely remember a book about which I have had such violent arguments. Nobody seems to have a moderate opinion: either, like myself, people find it a masterpiece of its genre or they cannot abide it, and among the hostile there are some, I must confess, for whose literary judgment I have great respect." January 22, 1956